While we are all equal in value, not all have equal access to the opportunities that are necessary for people to thrive.

The Community Foundation is dedicated to creating wide, smooth pathways to economic opportunity for everyone. That includes the student who is preparing for the next level of learning, the worker who wants to advance her career, the entrepreneur who has ambitions to grow a business, and anyone who has been left behind in a chance for economic success.

What We Believe

We believe our region has untapped workforce and small business assets that if invested in could become our greatest strength. Birmingham must grow from within, building on existing businesses and existing population. Small and mid-sized firms that are the engine of job creation need more support to start up and grow. We should focus more on traded sector firms that sell products and services beyond the region and can grow our region’s wealth. As a whole, our local workforce is under-skilled and disconnected from quality job opportunities. Systemic exclusion often leaves vast segments of the population on the sidelines, limiting both their access to jobs and opportunities to attain entrepreneurial success. If we strategically address these challenges, our diverse, highly trained local workforce and growing, job-creating businesses could make our region a model for inclusive growth.

The Impact We Seek

With a focus on those who have often been under-served or left out of economic opportunity, we are looking to support efforts to:

1. Prepare more people for in-demand, high-quality jobs of today and tomorrow
2. Create more high-quality jobs and successful businesses
3. Increase access to jobs by addressing structural inequities and building the physical and social infrastructure that connects people to what they need to succeed